But to become a really good musician you may have to put a lot of time into it - something that is
almost impossible with a daytime job on the side. Quite often good pro
musicians get hired on better deals than amateurs.
** i think that you're *basically* right . . . with the caveat that there are people (with 6 cds out under my own name, plus projects for other people and some other stuff in the can or in the works, i might number myself among them) who seem to get stuff done with a day job and all. it's hard, but it's doable.
the other side of the coin is that, in my opinion/experience (having known people who made pretty decent money but ended up hating playing because they played crap), i think that being a "pro" musician can be an awful lot like having a day job - - you get paid to do something for someone else and you may not always like it.
i think that the people who can do exactly (or damn close to) what they really want/feel/hear are amazingly lucky and not that common.
basically, this could bring up the debate between art and commerce - - as i said, people who seem to have a seamless interaction between them seem very rare from what i can tell.
stig